Maintenance agreement for a Quantum Design Cryocool system
Commerce (all) · DEPT OF COMMERCE NIST
Capture briefs (a one-page, shareable copy of this page) are part of Pro. The CSV here holds the notice, its timeline and past awards.
Where this opportunity stands
Every notice posted under solicitation NB305000-26-01470 in this department, oldest first.
- Aug 11, 2026 · this noticeSpecial Notice
Next steps for this stage
Standard steps for the notice type; not advice about this buyer.
- Answer the notice: this is when the requirement can still be shaped.
- Contact the contracting officer named on the notice.
- Check who won similar work; they are the likely bidders.
What the notice says
FBO ANNOUNCEMENT: PRESOLICITATION NOTICE, NOTICE OF INTENT ACTION CODE: SPECIAL NOTICE SUBJECT: Sole source � Maintenance agreement for a Quantum Design Cryocool system SOLICITATION NUMBER: NB305000-26-01470 RESPONSE DATE: 08/25/26 DESCRIPTION: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Materials Science and Engineering Division (MSED) is involved in the development of magnetic materials for next generation memory and computing, permanent magnets for motors, biomedicine, and many others. Characterization of these materials to improve their properties and function requires very … (show all)
large fields (14 T) and low temperatures (1.8 K), which are provided by Quantum Design�s Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS). To reduce daily operating costs, the PPMS uses a DynaCool system to cryocool the superconducting magnet and sample chamber. This eliminates the need for costly liquid helium. However, the DynaCool requires biannual maintenance, including the replacement of the cold head, scroll pump, and adsorber to ensure continued correct operation. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) intends to negotiate on a sole source basis, under the authority of FAR Part 12.102(b) with Quantum Design, Inc located in San Diego, California, for maintenance of this equipment. Sole Source justification is based on the following: Market research has shown that Quantum Design is the sole responsible source for service for this instrument. Quantum Design has in writing stated that: �The Quantum Design Dynacool is a unique tool in the marketplace. It is of a proprietary design and manufactured only by Quantum Design. Subsequently, Quantum Design is the only authorized service, parts, or maintenance provider for the Dynacool.� NAICS code for this requirement will be 811210� Other Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance with a small business size of $34.0M. No solicitation package will be issued. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive quotations; however, interested parties who regard themselves as capable of fulfilling these requirements are invited to submit responses to the Government for consideration. Responses received by 1:00AM EST on 08/25/26 will be considered by the Government. A determination by the Government not to compete the proposed acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Inquiry POCs Erik.Fycklund@nist.gov Primary Donald.Graham@nist.gov Secondary National Institutes of Standards and Technologies NIST Acquisition Management Division (AMD) 100 Bureau Dr. Mail Stop 1640 Gaithersburg, MD. 20899-1640
Recent Agency Awards (Loose Match)
775 award notices on SAM.gov in the last 24 months. Matched by: Same agency (Commerce (all)), any industry: a loose match.
Loose match: same agency, any industry. Read the titles before treating these as competitors.
Single-winner award sizes (744): middle half $39K to $458K, median $100K; range $3K to $8.0B.
| Winner | Awards | Value | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| GROUND LEVEL SERVICES LLC | 15 | $22.5M | Sep 23, 2026 |
| TECHNICAL COMMUNITIES, INC. | 12 | $2.4M | Oct 7, 2026 |
| GOVERNMENT SCIENTIFIC SOURCE INC | 7 | $411K | Sep 22, 2026 |
| TOPTICA PHOTONICS INC | 6 | $614K | Oct 7, 2026 |
| TITANIUM LOGISTIC SERVICES, LLC | 6 | $558K | Feb 24, 2026 |
| PARYMON CORP | 5 | $3.5M | Sep 21, 2026 |
| Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC | 4 | $2.7M | Sep 24, 2026 |
| AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES INC · $A · $7.4B | 4 | $1.5M | Sep 23, 2025 |
| Rohde & Schwarz USA, Inc. | 4 | $1.0M | Sep 30, 2026 |
| GOVAGE, INC. | 4 | $898K | Oct 1, 2026 |
Value counts new single-winner awards. "Shared" awards are multiple-award contracts that list every winner with the same total ceiling (same contract, or the same office, day and amount); that ceiling is not one company's win, so it is not added in. Contract modifications are not new awards and are not added in either (1 here). Revenue next to a ticker is the company's revenue over the latest 12 months in its SEC filings.
- $A reported $7.4B revenue (12 months to Jul 31, 2026). The median single-winner award in these 744 past awards, $100K, is under 0.1% of that. SEC filing
One award's total value against one year of revenue; many awards are paid over several years.
- Oct 14, 2026CASTAGNOLA TUG SERVICE, INC.$21KV--Vessel Charter - Buoy Recovery and Deployment - SaNo listed company matched (Materiality N/A)
- Oct 14, 2026THE GORDIAN GROUP, INC.$72K14 RS Means License RenewalNo listed company matched (Materiality N/A)
- Oct 13, 2026SANGUINE BIOSCIENCES, INC.$200KBlood Bank Sample ServicesNo listed company matched (Materiality N/A)
- Oct 13, 2026YOKOGAWA FLUID IMAGING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.$147KFlow Imaging Microscopy combined with Light Obscuration CapabilitiesNo listed company matched (Materiality N/A)
- Oct 8, 2026SCIENTA OMICRON, INC.$1.2MHigh-pressure XPS SystemNo listed company matched (Materiality N/A)
- Oct 7, 2026TECHNICAL COMMUNITIES, INC.$410KANRITSU FREQUENCY EXTENSION SYSTEM BRAND NAME ONLYNo listed company matched (Materiality N/A)
- Oct 7, 2026AVANTES, INC$41KNLIR IR SPECTROMETER SYSTEM MODEL S-MIDWAVE-2050-400-2K-F (BRAND NAME ONLY)No listed company matched (Materiality N/A)
- Oct 7, 2026SPINNER ICT INC$98KPrimary S-Parameter Standards for Plasma Etching RecordNo listed company matched (Materiality N/A)
- Oct 7, 2026PC VISION INC$104KOpto-Isolated High Voltage Switch, G3VM-101LRNo listed company matched (Materiality N/A)
- Oct 7, 2026TELEDYNE LECROY, INC.$102KArbitrary Waveform GeneratorNo listed company matched (Materiality N/A)
Competitive landscape
For the 8 most frequent past winners above. Lobbying is matched by the company's exact name or exact ticker; agencies are as named on the filings.
- 0 of these past winners lobbied Commerce, Dept of (DOC) since 2024 (0 filings)
- 0 of their lobbyists list a past Commerce, Dept of (DOC) job
- No corporate PAC money from them to the overseeing committees since 2024
- 0 foreign-agent (FARA) registrations
Policy around it
Bills the past winners named while lobbying this agency's issues, rules from the department, and executive orders that name the agency, last 12 months.
- 0 bills named on the past winners' lobbying filings
- 373 rules from the department in the last 12 months
- 0 executive orders naming the agency in the last 12 months
Market
For past winners matched exactly to a listed company. Insider trades are open-market buys and sells (Form 4) in the last 90 days, shown as facts; our own study found insiders do not reliably buy ahead of awards. A sale marked 10b5-1 was made under a trading plan set up in advance.
- 1 of the past winners are listed companies
- 0 insider buys and 1 insider sells at them in the last 90 days
Sources: SAM.gov notices and award notices; Senate LDA lobbying filings; FEC filings; FARA; Federal Register; congress.gov; SEC Form 4. Every row above links to its record.
Companies are matched to tickers by exact name, including the subsidiaries a company lists in its SEC filings. A company we could not match shows no market rows; that is a miss, not a finding.